My Sister is Missing
by Nina Natsu
Summary: Hinata raised the large sword off of her back and held it in a ready position. Ready or not, here we come. Hinata centric, AU, Pairing eventual Sasuhina HIATUS- sorry.
1. Prolouge

My Sister Is Missing

Intro

A girl with long blue/black hair walked down the main street of Konoha, people gathering on the sidewalks watching her pass. She wore a black battle-suit without sleeves and strapped to her back was a large katana. On her waist, twin swrods were strapped in an X-like fashion. Behind her, hundreds of people dressed in battle-suits marched, shoving any foolish person off of the street.

Pale eyes glared towards a huge building..

"Hyuuga Hinata desu. I believe you have my sister in that fancy building of yours." Hinata raised the large sword off of her back and held it in a ready position. "Ready or not, here we come."


	2. Interesting

My Sister is Missing

Chapter 1; Interesting

Hinata sighed, shutting her locker with a soft 'click'. It was her first day of High School, and she was attending Konoha High. It was named after the city, which she lived in and the school was located in. Why it couldn't have been a more creative name like the other schools she will never know.

"Okay... So what's first period..." She muttered, pulling a white sheet of paper from her pocket.

Period 1: Science

Teacher: Anko

Period 2: LA

Teacher: Kurenai

Period 3: Social Studies

Teacher:Asuma

Period 4:Math

Teacher: Kakashi

Period 5: Health

Teacher: Shizune

Period 6: Gym

Teacher: Gai

Hinata sighed again, heading off to Anko's classroom. From what Neji had told her, this was not a class that you wanted to be late to. _Well.. _She thought, the optomistic side of her taking hold. _At least I have something to remind me to get to class on time_. Suddenly, she bumped into somebody, falling onto the ground.

"Itai... Oh, I'm so sorry!" She cried, standing up from where she now sat on the floor. A boy stood before her, looking a little annoyed, but not mad. He had raven hair that was spiked in the back, and bangs that framed his face. His skin was an attractive pale, and he was well built. You could tell just by looking at him, even through the school uniform.

"Hn. Don't worry about it." He said in a monotone voice, running one hand through his hair casually. They both stood there for a second in awkward silence.

"What's your name?" He asked suddenly.

"Hinata desu. May I ask yours?" She asked, her drilled-in manners showing through.

"Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke eyed this girl curiously. Why hadn't she said the last name? Was she trying to hide something? Whatever it was, he was interested. And when he gets interested, he finds an answer. He would have to look into this later.

"Well then, Uchiha-san, I guess I'll see you later." Hinata said, making a small bow.

"Sasuke." He said. The young Hyuuga Heiress looked at him in confusion. "Call me Sasuke."

"Okay then... Ja ne, Sasuke." She said happily and walked off.

First period went by fast, the same as Second and Third. Now it was lunch, then Fourth period. Here was the problem; Where the hell was she going to sit?!

After purchasing lunch, she looked around.

"Hinata!" Came a voice from her right. She recognized that voice... Hinata turned to see Sasuke waving her over casually. He was sitting with a group of boys and girls that looked like they would be popular. She gave a small smile and walked over to the boy, sitting in the spot he had indicated nervously.

"Konnichiwa, Sasuke." The pale-eyed girl greeted.

"Hey." The table had gone suddenly quiet, and Hinata looked around to see everyone staring at the two in shock, causing the girl to blush. Sasuke noticed this and started to introduce everyone.

"Guys, this is Hinata. That's Naruto, " He started, pointing to a guy with spiky blond hair and blue eyes who was staring at the Uchiha in shock. "Sakura," This time it was a girl with bubble-gum pink hair and emerald eyes who was glaring at Hinata. Hinata gave a nervous smile. "Kiba," A boy with spiky brown hair and a grey jacket. "Shino," A quiet boy who looked like he kept to himself. "Ino," A blond girl with blue eyes, though more of a white-blond than Naruto's yellow. "Shikamaru," A lazy-looking boy with brown hair. "Chouji," A slightly bigger goy with sandy-colored hair that was eating potato chips. Before Sasuke could continue his introductions, the next girl spoke up.

"Hina-chan! I didn't know that you would be coming to this school this year!" Yelled a brown-haired girl with her hair in two buns. Hinata laughed quietly.

"Yep. Did you get that guitar that you wanted, Ten-chan?" She asked, pushing the tray away from her.

"Of course! And I got the matching Bass so that you could come over and play with me when Neji isn't being an ass." Tenten replied. Hinata laughed at this while another boy next to Tenten glared at her.

"I'm not with her all the time. Hinata-sama has her own life." Neji replied indignantly. Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Niisan, I honestly can't remember the last time I had over an hour by myself." Hinata said as gently as she could. The boy next to Neji nodded enthusiastically.

"That's right, Neji! The youthful Hinata-chan doesn't have enough alone time with you around!" Lee cried. Meanwhile, everyone else was staring at the four in shock, especially Sasuke.

"Did you just call Neji 'Niisan'?" Kiba asked. Hinata nodded.

"Of course. He is my cousin, after all. Even if he acts more like an older brother." Hinata replied. "I know Ten-cahn through him, as well as Lee-san. And Ten-chan tought me how to play Bass, making us better friends." Everyone looked over at Sakura in horror. It was a well known fact to everyone in the school the two boys that Sakura liked; Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Neji. They were the most popular boys of their years, and she was the most popular girl of hers, so in her mind both of them belonged to her. For another girl to get close to _both_ of them without her knowledge was basically asking her to kill that girl. Hinata had basically just signed away her life; when Sakura got jealous, she was _scary_.

"So..." Sakura started in a deadly voice. "Hinata was it? You wouldn't happen to know, oh, that you're very close to my boys, would you?" Sakura asked. Sasuke and Neji both glared at the pink-haired girl, and Sasuke shifted closer to Hinata in a protective manner. Said girl just looked at Sakura in confusion.

"Your boys?" The teen asked.

"Yes. Sasuke-kun and Neji-kun. Did you know that they're _my_ boys?" Hinata shook her head. This girl was starting to really piss her off. "Well they are. They're both very popular, and so am I, so they're mine by an unwritten law. I would suggest that you stay away from them from now on." Neji sighed.

"You asked for it..." He muttered, gaining odd looks from everyone but Tenten and Lee, who were shaking their heads at Sakura.

"No, I didn't know that they belonged to you, Sakura-san." Hinata said in a formal voice, returning all eyes to her. "Because last time I checked they were both human, and humans don't belong to anyone. I thought you were human as well, but I guess I was wrong." Hinata's previously closed eyes opened to stare blankly at Sakura, although there was some kind of fire in them. "Humans don't say that about the people they consider friends, or in this case, more. I suggest we all get to class; the bell's about to ring." With that said, the bluenette stood and walked from the cafeteria, leaving a group of stunned teens. Well, mostly stunned.

Sasuke smirked; this girl truly was interesting.

End of Chapter

Okay, so here's the first real chapter. Hope you liked it!

Nina


	3. chapter 2

My Sister Is Missing

Chapter 2:

Hinata went through fourth and fifth period like a robot; doing everything that she was asked and staying quiet. Her mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of Sakura. _How can Niisan be friends with someone like that?! She calls them hers, basically says that because they're popular they're perfect for eachother, and then tries to scare off any other female that happens to be close to them! And anyways, if she 'owned' them, then she'd be two-timing both of them. Is that even possible in High School? Anyways, what's sixth period... Oh yeah, Gym with Gai-sensai. Whoever he is. _

Hinata walked into the locker room and pulled out her gym uniform, putting it on. Luckily it was just some basket ball shorts and a green shirt with the school symbol on it in silver. Nothing pervy like in Jr. High. Shaking her head a little to rid it of the bad thoughts, Hinata walked out into the gym. It turned out that she was one of the first girls out there, besides Tenten and Ino. Most of the boys were out there. (Everyone from lunch had the same Gym class)

"Hey, Hina-chaaaaan!" Tenten and Ino called at the same time, waving her over. They stood in the same group from lunch. The Hyuuga Heiress (Although it was unknown that she was Heiress to everyone but Neji) hurried over to her knew friends.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked, coming to stand in between Tenten and Neji.

"Not much." Kiba replied.

"What do you mean not much?!" A deep, male voice shouted. Everyone turned to see a man dressed in green spandex and looked like he could be Lee's dad. Or Lee could be his mini-me, either one. "We shall have to fix that! Do as many laps as you can! GO, MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS!" The man cried. _So that's Gai-sensei..._ Hinata thought, feeling a sewatdrop form on the back of her head as she started running.

"So that's Gai-sensei?" Hinata asked, running next to Neji. The brown-haired teen nodded. "He seems a little..."

"Over-enthusiastic?" The older Hyuuga inserted. Hinata nodded.

"Yeah, that's the word."

"Either way," Neji started in a low whisper. "This is a great time to see how much you've improved your stamina. I will set the pace, and you keep even with me. We'll see which of us can last longer." Hinata nodded cheerfully.

"Okay. Set the pace, Niisan." Neji kicked it up a notch so that both of the Hyuugas were going faster than any of the other people in Gym. Some were already done.

Ten minutes passed and the two were still at it, while everyone else had stopped.

"Niisan, this isn't very fast." Hinata said.

"I know. It would look suspicious if we went much faster." Neji answered. Hinata nodded.

"I understand that much, it's just that running like this for so long after everyone without changing something seems a little... wierd from their point of view, I'm sure." Neji nodded slowly, slowing his pace slightly.  
"I suppose you're right. This is faster than anyone without training could go for so long. Well, a normal person. I suggest we stop." Hinata nodded in agreement and stopped along side her cousin. A pair of coal black eyes watched from across the room in curiosity. _So she's athletic... Or is it something else? _Sasuke wondered. _Still, to be even with Neji isn't easy. This makes things even more interesting_. While Sasuke thought of these things a different pair of eyes watched the pair cross the room in hatred. _That damn girl... How dare she?! Even after I told her to back off she's still close to both of them! _Sakura thought furiously. _Oh, she has got to go!_ Sakura walked towards the pair with a fake smile on.

"So are you going to pick up Hanabi or am I?" Neji asked.

"I'll pick her up. Besides, I already promised her that I'd train with her." Hinata answered. Sakura chose this time to walk up to the pair, although she didn't hear any of the conversation.

"Neji-kuuuuuun! That was amazing, as usual!" She cried in a high pitched voice that made both of the Hyuugas flinch.

"Hn..." Neji and Hinata continued around Sakura and back to their group of friends, leaving behind a furious pink-haired teen.

"So do you want to come with me and Hanabi? I was thinking about taking her to that clearing I've been telling you about." Hinata said once they were out of earshot.

"Sure." The pair came to a stop in front of their group of friends and Hinata was imediately tackled into a bear hug by Ino and Tenten.

"I-Ino-chan... Ten-chan.. Need... Air!" Hinata choked.

"Hina-chan I didn't know that you were an athlete too!" Ino cried, hugging Hinata tighter despite her protests.

"Yeah! Well, I knew you were an athlete, but I've never seen you like that! You were even with Neji and you aren't even sweating!" Tenten agreed.

"Oi, she's gonna sufficate." Sasuke said from in front of them, looking worriedly at the Hyuuga whose face was literaly turning blue.The other girls looked down at her sheepishly before letting go. What happened next surprised everyone. When Hinata fell from their grasp, gasping in much needed air, she fell straight into Sasuke. The Uchiha's arms shot out to catch her and now he was holding her against his chest. That isn't the most surprising part, though. Neither seemed to want to move. Emerald eyes flamed and Sakura marched over to the shocked group.

"Sasuke-kun, drop that trash. It's bad for your reputation to hang out with people like _that_." She ordered, pushing Hinata and Sasuke apart. Neji had to catch her, and that made Sakura even more upset. "You too, Neji-kun. Don't worry, I've already got a cover story for you. Neji-kun, you'll pretend that she was adopted by your uncle or aunt or whatever it is. And Sasuke-kun, you can say that she just jumped into your arms or something. Okay? Everything will be back to normal!" Everyone glared at Sakura heatedly, causing her to blink in confusion. Hinata had seemed to shrunk back and now both Sasuke and Neji were standing in front of her protectively, their glares being the most heated.

"What? It wasn't a good plan?" She asked 'innocently'. "Okay, we can fix that. How about... Sasuke-kun says that she's a fangirl from the school that he transfered from and that he's just nice to her because he doesn't want to hurt her feelings!"

"Sakura." Neji began in an acidic tone. The pink-haired girl froze. "Stay away from any of our friends and us. Especially Hinata-sama." With that said he and Sasuke walked off, each holding an arm of Hinata's. Luckily the bell rang at this time and they handed her over to Tenten and Ino before going to the locker room to change.

"That was completely uncalled for!" Ino fumed to Hinata's right. Tenten nodded sharply in agreement, finally letting go of the heiress to her side. Ino did the same.

"I know! To call Hinata trash... That whore has no idea what she's talking about!" Tenten shouted, pulling her normal shirt on.

"If anyone's trash it's her!" Hinata looked between her two friends in alarm. While she did agree that Sakura was a bad person, to put it nicely, she didn't understand why they were standing up for her. Maybe it was to get on Sakura's nerves..?  
"You guys... You're making people stare..." Hinata said, a sweatdrop forming on the back of her head. The ranting pair stopped mid-sentence to glance around them.

"Oh..." Ino said sheepishly. "Sorry!"

"Anyways, we've got to go meet up with the boys."

The trio walked out into the parking lot and over to the boys, who were gathered around a few cars. One she recognized as Ten's black jeep, but the other three she didn't recognize. There was a pick-up truck colored dark blue, in _very_ good condition, a silver car that on closer inspection realized was Neji's, and another jeep that was dark green.

"All the girls are riding with me today!" Tenten cried. "No boys aloud! We're going shopping!"

"Demo, Ten-cahn, I have to pick up Hanabi-chan." Hinata inserted. Tenten waved a hand in front of her in a dismissive gessture.

"Neji can pick her up, can't you, Neji?" Tenten asked. Neji glared at her.

"Why do I have to pick up the brat?" He asked irritably, which was the closest thing to a whine that he would ever do. Tenten hopped into the jeep, followed by Ino.

"Aw, come on Neji! Hina never gets to come shopping with me anymore because of that bastard! And he's out of town right now!" Tenten pleaded.

"Leaving Hinata-sama in charge of the clan right now." Neji reminded. Tenten sighed in defeat, slumping on her steering wheel.

"Sorry Hina... Looks like we have to wait for a while until the bastard comes home..." She muttered dejectedly. Hinata laughed nervously.

"Otou-sama isn't _that _bad..." She said, but seeing the incredulous look from Tenten stopped. "What?"

"You're saying that Hiashi isn't that bad?" She asked. Hinata nodded. "What did he do, brainwash you in your sleep?! The bastard is _violent_!" Hinata shrugged and turned to Neji.

"We're going to be late, Niisan..." She said in the quiet voice, ignoring the stares of her new friends. Neji nodded.

"Does anyone else need a ride?" He asked.

"No one needs a ride now that I can take people, just go Neji." Tenten snapped. Neji and Hinata got into the car and started driving, leaving severly confused people behind.

Clan?! Bastard?! Who the hell is Hanabi?!

End of Chapter

Sorry it took so long to update, but I have a LOT of stories going right now. Remember, make your reviews nice and long please. Ja ne, and I'll try to hurry this time.

Nina


	4. Clan Meeting

_Sorry it took so long to update, but here's chapter 3._

_**She had to stay up really late to finish this. It was funny!**_

_Shut up, Hayate. What are you doing here anyways? This isn't a Prince of Tennis fic._

_**I know. I got bored. **_

_Oh. On with the story!_

My Sister is Missing

Chapter 3:

Neji and Hinata drove away from school towards Hanabi's school in a comfortable silence.

"So, we're going to go train after this, right?" Neji asked.

"Unfortunately, no. I have to go back to the compound and deal with some clan things before anything else." She sighed. "I wonder if I'm really cut out for those things..." Neji pulled his silver car into a parking lot and got out, followed by Hinata.

"Of course you are. You may not be the most confident person in the world, but you always put people before yourself; a good quality for a leader. One that some unfortunately don't have." He said, leaning against the car next to his younger cousin. Hinata smiled.

"At least you think so. If only I could please Father then things wouldn't be so cold at home."

"Things aren't that simple for Hyuugas."

"I know." Silence enveloped the pair as a girl with chocolate brown hair looked towards them and waved before running their way. "I just hope I can make things better for Hanabi. Father pushes her too hard, and while she does meet most of his expectations, it's hard on her. I don't want that for her." Neji nodded solemnly.

"Oneechan! Neji-niisan!" The girl cried, running up and jumping at Hinata. The older girl caught her and swung her around a little before squeezing her once and setting her down.

"Hello, Hanabi-chan. How was school? Make a move on Konohamaru yet?" Hinata asked casually, earning a blush from the youngest Hyuuga, who clung to her waist childishly.

"Oneechan!" Hanabi whined.

"It was just a joke. Come on, let's go home." Hinata opened the car door for her younger sister and then got in herself, while Neji climbed in on the other side.

"To answer your question, I had a completely boring day at school, just like any other day." Hanabi said from the back seat.

"Oh? I'm not surprised; school usually is boring." Hinata answered.

"I wanna train in that clearing that you found, Oneechan." The younger girl pouted.

"It'll have to wait a little. Hinata-sama has some clan matters to attend to first, Hanabi." Neji said. Hanabi continued to pout at this information. Seeing her sister's expression Hinata laughed lightly.

"Don't worry, Imouto; it won't take long. I promise we'll still be able to go train at the clearing." She comforted. Hanabi brightened at that.

"Okay. What do you have to do?" She asked. "Does it have anything to do with Orochimaru and the Cloud?" Hinata nodded.

"Unfortunately. The council said it couldn't wait until Father got home, and that we need to decide what to do when they attack." Hanabi shrugged.

"It's probably better for you to go to the meeting instead of Father." She said.

"What makes you say that?" Neji asked.

"Well, Oneechan focuses on making sure everyone's safe as well as that we win the war. Father only focuses on winning. With Oneechan making the decisions we have a better chance of survival!" Neji smiled.

"True, Hinata makes the more practical decisions that Hiashi-sama would avoid because of his stuck-up pride and need for glory." He agreed. Hinata smiled at the two and continued to watch out her window contentedly.

About ten minutes later Hinata entered the meeting room in the Hyuuga area. You see, the Hyuugas were a prostigous clan and family that would be considered the most powerful Yakuza Clan in Fire Country. They were highly respected and feared by all other clans. On the outskirts of the area was normal houses, belonging to that of the distantly related or half Hyuuga families. They were in charge of gaurd duty, but also looked the least suspicous to outsiders. Next came the houses of higher classed Hyuugas; the medics and battle-able warriors. They were divided into teams of three people according to experience, sometimes more. Finally in the exact center, surrounded by record buildings and training facilities, was the resicence of the head of the Clan and the meeting room. The Council members had apartments in the upper levels of the building, but also had families that lived in other sections of the area. It was in this meeting room that Hinata now stood, as said earlier.

She wore a black kimono with a white obi, and on the hem of the kimono was crimson butterflies. Her long navy hair was held into a ponytail at the base of her neck with the usual two bangs framing her face. She quickly and gracefully continued to her seat at the middle of the half circle of chairs, where everyone could see her.

"Thank you for coming, Hinata-sama." An aged Hyuuga with gray hair to her right said formally. "In the absence of your father it is required that the heir, or in this case, heiress decides what course of action to take in war." Hinata nodded, her face blank of any emotion.

"I understand, Hiroto-san. Please accept my judgement for the time being." She answered. Hiroto nodded at her and then watched and waited. Hinata sighed inaudibly before continuing. "We all know why we're here; the Cloud has joined forces with Orochimaru and they have announced their attack." A murmur ran through the small group of 13 people and some shifted uncomfortably in their seats. "I realize that this is an uncomfortable topic among many of us, and that the absence of my father has us all anxious, being as he is usually the one to make these decisions. However, it cannot wait." The door slid open quietly and a maid walked in with her head bowed. She was carrying a small scroll that looked like it had blood on it.  
"Here is the scroll you requested, M'lady." The maid said quietly, holding out the scroll for Hinata to take. She took it with a nod.

"Thank you, Hana. You are desmissed." Hana left quickly in the same manner that she had come. Hinata sighed, gathering her courage, and unrolled the scroll. "It has not been released, as of yet, how we aquired the information that may save our lives." The heiress stood now, and walked to the middle of the room before turning to face the Council members with a stone glare. "However, I have been informed, and for the sake of all Hyuugas I must say I am disappointed. Sending an inexperienced group of mere Chunnin into the Sound Country with one recently promoted Jounin as backup? What possessed you to believe my father was right in doing so?" The other occupants of the room gasped at the brave display of disloyalty.

"Hinata-sama, I am shocked to hear such a thing from the heiress of the mighty Hyuuga." An elderly woman to her right said. Hinata ignored her.

"Look; I'll put it plainly so that we understand eachother. I don't like the way this Clan is run. I never have, and I am not changing that opinion. As the heiress of this clan I find it revolting that we sacrifice so many unwilling lives for the sake of one. Did Orochimaru not say that he was after my younger sister, Hanabi? Was it not possible to spare a few more experienced Chunnin that had at least a larger chance of survival? Yes, we had the resources to spare those lives that we lost." Hinata held up the scroll that had splatters of blood visible. "This blood should not have been spilt. There are ways to avoid unnecessry death, and I plan to use those methods before anything else." She unrolled the scroll and began reading aloud. "We were surrounded by Cloud and Sound Shinobi on all sides. They were at least Jounin level, some probably bordering on our own ANBU. We will not be able to defeat them, so we will send one back with the scroll while the rest of us take as many as possible to hell with us. We apologize for our incompetince, M'lady; please accept what we were able to accomplish. We pray that the information we gathered will be useful to the Hyuuga. Be safe, M'lady; it is you that needs to survive. It is you that is able to lead our Clan to survival and victory. Promise me, Hyuuga Hayate, the Jounin that was sent on this mission, that you will live on and lead us forward. Farewell. Signed, Hyuuga Hayate." Hinata looked up from the scroll and into the shocked eyes of those around her. She glared at them all. "The name is written in blood; his blood. Hayate was a very respected Jounin, even though he had just made it to that position. If he had been given the assets needed on this type of mission, maybe not only he would have survived, but the team as well."

"Yes, well, we were in a hurry to--" The woman from before started, but Hinata raised her voice a fraction and spoke over her.

"There is no excuse to cover for their involuntary sacrifice, forced by those in this room. I will have you know right now that something like this will not be tolerated again. It shouldn't have happened in the first place." She closed the scroll respectfully. "Keep all of this in mind and think it over during the night. If you cannot agree with my judgement you will tell me so tomorrow when we meet again to discuss tactics. Until then, desmissed." Hinata swept out of the room, to find Neji waiting for her. He fell into step beside her quietly.

"That was a very brave thing to do, Hinata-sama." He said respectfully. Hinata sighed tiredly.

"I just hope I made my point clear; I'm expecting at least half of them to not trust me anymore. If that's the case I'll have to find a way to replace them. Trust is important." She replied, then smiled in a weary manner. "Alright, just let me get changed and we can go get Hanabi to train."

End of Chapter

What do you think? Good? Bad? Review?


	5. Chapter 4

_Here's chapter 4._

_Disclaimer; I don't own Naruto, just any OCs I decide to put in there unless I say otherwise. _

My Sister is Missing

Chapter 4:

"Hayaku, hayaku, Oneechan!" Hanabi cried excitedly, jumping out of Hinata's dark purple jeep and bouncing impatiently on her toes. Hinata laughed at the sight.

"Calm down, Imouto. The clearing isn't going anywhere, you know." She tried to console the youngest Hyuuga. Not that it worked, as Hanabi clung to Hinata's waist again while waiting for Neji to grab the training equipment out of the back.

"Hayaku, Niisan, Hayaku! I want to have a lot of time to spend with you and Oneechan!" She said. A vein popped on Neji's head as he finished unloading the large boxes from the back of Hinata's unusual car.

"Would you rather unload while I watch, Brat?" He growled, slamming the back of the jeep shut and picking up the heaviest box out of the two. Hanabi hid behind Hinata slightly, sticking out her tounge, causing the vein to grow in size.

"Calm, Niisan, calm." Hinata reminded gently, picking up the remaining box and heading into the forest.

"Hai, hai..." He muttered under his breath, glaring at Hanabi good-naturedly as she skipped beside the heiress.

Konoha had gotten it's name by the thick forest that surrounded it and the good weather commonly experienced by it's inhabitants. The giant trees were almost always covered in jade leaves, except for in the depths of Winter, and in Spring the many fields were hidden by colorful wildflowers. Foreign people often considered Konoha a neverending paradise, because when it was Winter it was snowing, making the kids extremely happy while the cold-haters simply stayed inside. Now the season was Spring, and wildflowers once again ruled any spare patch of grass big enough to be considered a patch.

Hinata sighed contentedly.

"I love this season..." She breathed, and the trio came to a halt in a fairly good sized field, big enough that you couldn't see past the first trees' shadows on the other side, but small enough that you could run across it easily enough without getting too tired. "_This_ is the clearing that I found." Hanabi ran out into the grass and twirled, her practice outfit twirling around her waist slightly. She always wore a skirt that reached mid-thigh when she practiced, with skin-tight shorts going to her knees underneath. Today's skirt was light blue, and the shirt she wore was white with a blue star on it. The shorts were dark blue, matching her zori (Ninja sandles) and the star.

Neji wore a tan shirt that was slightly baggy with a high collar and bandages winding up his arms. His shorts reached just past his knees, and they deffinately weren't skin tight. While Hanabi's Hitai-ite was around her waist, his was around his forhead while his hair was tied together loosely at the bottom.

Hinata's Hitai-ite was no where to be seen. She wore dark blue capris and a black T-shirt over a mesh 3/4 length shirt. Her zori were more like black sandals, more commonly seen on the Hokage, Lady Tsunade, who just happened to be Hinata and Neji's principal as well. Of course, only they knew that, and Tsunade never wore her normal attire at 'work'. Really being a principal at Konoha High was just a cover, as most of the teachers were also Ninja like the Hyuugas. Where do you think Anko got her insane sense of humor? Deffinately not from a bunch of 'snot-nosed punks' as she would put it.

"What are we doing first, Oneechan?" Hanabi asked, looking at the heavy boxes that her older sibling and cousin had put down.

"Well... Your Gentle Fist is pretty good, and Father usually works on that with you...Ah, I know! Let's start by a warm-up spar and then we can work on weaponry. That sound good?" Hanabi nodded cheerfully, jogging to the middle of the field and falling into a Jyuuken stance. Hinata smiled before charging.

For the next 30 minutes it was nothing but trading blows, blocking, ducking, and parrying. Eventually, though, Hanabi collapsed for a break and Hinata sat next to her, sweating, but not as tired as the younger girl. She looked around for Neji and spotted him on the far end of the field, farthest from the car, sticking red and white targets to the trees. The heiress smiled again; good old Neji, always knowing what needs to be done without needing to be told. Noticing his cousin's stare Neji turned and saluted to Hinata loosely before turning back to rummage through the box at his feet, causing said girl to laugh.

"Nani, Oneechan?" Hanabi asked curiously.

"It's Neji-niisan. I was just thinking about how he never needs to be told what to do; he just does it. Then he turned around, sensing my stare, and saluted. It couldn't have been better timing." Hinata explained, laughing again, being joined by Hanabi.

"So, ready to start weapons training?" Hanabi nodded enthusiastically.

"You bet! Will you start teaching me sword today, Oneechan?" The younger girl asked excitedly, jumping to her feet. The heiress thought for a second before answering.

"Tell you what; we'll start off with the staff and," She raised her voice a little, seeing that Hanabi was about to whine, "if you're doing well we can start today." Hanabi jumped up and down on the spot.

"Yay, thank you Oneechan!" She squeeled, running towards the weapons in the bigger box still at the front of the clearing where they had left it. She retrieved two medium-sized staffs; one was silver and the other was plain brown with carvings of swirls all over it. The silver one was also decorated with swirls, but the swirls on it connected to various dots, representing stars, and at the top it was hooked; carved to look like a cresent moon.

Hanabi handed the silver one to Hinata and the older girl began directing her in some more advanced sets with them.

It turned out that Hanabi still needed some work on the staff, so she didn't get to work with swords that day. By the time the trio went home it was already dark and the stars were visible. Neji waited at the door while Hinata said goodnight to her sister, then walked with her towards her own room.

"You'll need to get some rest tonight, Hinata-sama. Tomorrow will be a very tiring day, and we still have school since it's a friday." Neji stated at the older Hyuuga's door. Hinata smiled wearily at him.

"Just like today but even better, huh, Niisan?" She joked half-heartedly, followed by a yawn. Neji ruffled her hair playfully.

"Get some rest." The heiress shut her door and Neji continued on to his room, not knowing that Hinata was leaning against the door on the other side, staring out her window, instead of going to bed.

"Sleep? Now? Yeah right." She muttered to herself, moving towards the back door. "I haven't paid my respects to Okaasan yet..." With that she slipped out the window and into the massive garden out back.

While the matriarch of the Hyuuga had still been alive she had absolutely adored this garden. Instead of just asking gardners to come tend to her roses and lilies, she did it herself, pouring care into every drop of water that she sprinkled on them. Often, when she was a little girl, Hinata would come along to tend to the garden. Her favorites had always been the lilies, but her mother loved the roses.

So it was in the rose section of the garden that Hinata came across a white tombstone. Behind it stood a statue of a smiling woman, holding a rose, in the same pure-looking material. Picking one of the flowers from the bushes around her, Hinata placed it in front of the stone and bowed her head. Automatically her fingers traced the words carved out on the marble.

_Here lies Hyuuga Hikari, beloved mother, wife, and friend. You will find your way to heaven without trouble, angel._ The last part had been something that Hikari's true love added. You see, Hikari had been forced into an arranged marraige with Hiashi, Hinata's father. It was an old Hyuuga tradition that generations of Hyuugas had seen through, and the kind-hearted woman was just another unfortunate victim. Though it was made clear before the engagement that she loved a man named Sousuke, her family forced her upon Hiashi. For six years she dealt with it, because after the first year she had Hinata, then when she was seeing Hinata grow up, and finally when Hanabi was born, she had her precious people to watch over and lean on. However, Hiashi got fed up with Sousuke always coming around and Hikari never paying attention to him while he was over and had it made clear that he was not to be seen near his wife or children. Not being able to deal with it any longer, Hikari waited until Hanabi was done breast feeding and then ran off.

Later she was found dead in Konoha's forest, with a sound forehead protector clutched in her hand and a kunai in the other. Her eyes had a slit through them, so it was obvious she had had no hope left after she was attacked, so she slit her eyes so as to keep them out of the hands of Orochimaru. Yes, Hinata's mother was a caring person, but she was also an emotional person that couldn't stand being away from those she loved for too long. Sousuke later got married and had a child of his own; a girl named Moegi whose best friends were Konohamaru and Udon, two boys her age. Hinata had taken it upon herself to be kind to this trio, because they were the only ties she had to her mom other than the cold stone in front of her and a man that had stabbed her in the back by marrying a month after she had died. Hinata sighed.

"I wonder if you'd be able to do what I'm going to attempt, Okaasan..."

_End of Chapter_

_What do you think? Did you like the part about her mom? I was always curious as to what happened to her mom, so I made up something interesting that fit with Hiashi being a bastard..._

_Reviews are appreciated._

_Nina_


	6. Chapter 5

_Thanks to all of those that reviewed, it's greatly appreciated. Standard disclaimers apply._

My Sister if Missing

Chapter 5

Sunlight streamed into Hinata's room through her open curtains, resulting in a groaning teenager. Although she was mature for her age, Hinata had _never_ been a morning person. When you think about it, a lot of adults reacted much worse, punching alarm clocks out windows and such. And thinking about what she had to do today, I think it's safe to say that the heiress deserved a break, however small.

Swinging her legs out from under her quilt Hinata made her way across the room to her bathroom. Half an hour later she was showered, dressed, and heading down for breakfast.

"Ohayou, Hinata-sama." Neji greeted when she walked into the kitchen. He was cooking breakfast for all three of them since he, like Hinata and Hanabi, thought that having cooks to make your meals was rediculous and uncalled for. Their father said otherwise, but with him out of the house Hinata was left in charge, and she gave the cooks a vacation. Not to mention, even though he would never admit it, Neji liked to cook every once in a while.

"Ohayou, Niisan. What's for breakfast?" She asked, yawning at the end.

"Bacon and eggs okay? Maybe some toast." He added as an afterthought, moving to grab the bread from a cupboard to his right. Hanabi walked in the door, rubbing her eyes and clutching a panda doll in her other arm.

"Ohayou..." She muttered sleepily. Hinata smiled and scooted her chair out as Hanabi walked towards her slowly. Hanabi was _not_ a morning person. Hanabi climbed into her sister's lap and curled up, almost like a cat, as Hinata wrapped her arms around her sister in a motherly way.

"Ohayou, Hanabi-chan. Sleep well?" The younger grunted out something that sounded like 'not long enough', causing Neji to laugh. He was perfectly fine with waking up in the morning, the only one in the room who thought so. Hinata giggled as well, earning another protesting grunt. Neji placed the food on the table, and Hanabi jumped into her own seat without hesitation, gulping down the food. Did I mention that Neji was also a fairly good cook? Hinata laughed while Neji glared half-heartedly at the youngest Hyuuga girl before sitting down.

The morning continued as usual and the cousins soon dropped off the youngest Hyuuga before heading into their own school.

"Hina-chan!" Ino and Tenten called at the same time when Hinata stepped out of the car.

"Ohayou!" She called back, walking over while stifling a yawn behind the hand that she had used to wave.  
"Aww, Hina-chan, you're so cute!" Ino cried and glomped the dark-haired girl, followed by Tenten.

"I know, she's too cute for her own good!" Tenten agreed. Once again, Hinata had to let them know, very painfully, that she couldn't breathe before they let her go.

"Who do you have first period, Hinata?" Chouji asked, stuffing a handful of chips into his mouth.

"Anko-sensei for Science." She answered. Shikamaru twitched, but no one seemed to notice other than Ino, who sniggered.

"What? That woman is evil, in so many way!" He answered, and a few other people laughed. Neji and Hinata shared a glance, the younger being slightly nervous, while the older just sighed.

"She's _just_ a Science teacher, you baby! Honestly, what's wrong with her? Has she got weapons hidden in her jakcet or something?" Ino asked, laughing at the last comment. _Probably... _Hinata thought with a sweatdrop. She had known Anko since she was about 5, and the young woman had always had some sort of weapon on her. A kunai, a couple shuriken, some type of knife, you name it. Even a gun occasionally, but both girls thought that guns were useless in the sense of taking someone out, and considered the act of using one cowardly. They only carried them when there was a possibility of being discovered, since it would be suspicious to carry a kunai around. Hinata herself had a pair of sais hidden on her bodice, ready for use at any time. It was a ninja thing; never leave yourself unarmed. It could mean death for them in an instant.

"Ano..." Hinata interupted the arguing pair. They looked at her. "I actually have to go ask Anko-sensei a question, so I'll be goig to class right now."

"Oh, okay. See you at lunch, Hina!" Ino replied. Hinata shot a meaningful glance at Neji, and made her way to the science room.

She found the young woman sitting behind her desk with her feet propped up on it, sharpening a kunai. As soon as Hinata opened the door, she almost fell out of her chair. However, seeing who it was, she relaxed.

"Geez, Hinata, don't do that! I almost stabbed myself!" Anko cried, exhaling in an exagerated motion. "Close the door, will ya? I was just about to change out of my ninja gear." Hinata complied, closing the door while Anko stood up and stashed the kunai in her desk.

"Why are you in your normal clothes, Neechan?" The younger girl asked, sitting on one of the desks in the front of the room with her legs crossed.

"I just came from training." Anko answered. "Couldn't sleep again, so I just went to that clearing you were telling me about." Her voice was muffled as she pulled her mesh shirt off over her head and replaced it with a normal black shirt and a leather jacket that had been hanging on the back of the chair. Next she removed the tan skirt, but left the mesh shorts, and pulled on some faded jeans that flared over her zori. Still, she replaced those with some combat boots and stashed her clothes in a secret compartment in the back of the supply closet before shutting it and returning to her position at the desk. "So, you got any news for me?"

"Unfortunately." Hinata answered, letting her legs dangle over the side of the desk before she continued.

Sasuke walked towards his first period class, which happened to be the same as Hinata's, and stopped in front of the door. After a bored sigh he went to open the door, but something stopped him.

_"So, you got any news for me?" _He knew that voice. It was his teacher. But who was Anko-sensei talking to? Wait, Hinata went to class early...

_"Unfortunately."_ Hinata's voice floated out as well. _"Hayate's squad didn't make it back."_ Sasuke raised an eyebrow. What were they talking about? They sounded like a pair of army captains or something, discussing the outcome of an assignment.

_"What?! None of them? What did Kakashi say when he found out?"_ Anko asked. How was Kakashi involved? This didn't make any sense.  
_"I haven't told him yet. I will after school."_ Hinata's voice had quieted, as if she was sad. Sasuke pushed open the door, and the confusion must have shown on his face, because Hinata was suddenly off of the desk she had been perched on, instead sitting at her own desk next to the window and two seats from the back, and Anko was sitting at her desk, feet on the desk as usual.

"What are you looking at, Punk? Ya need anything?" Anko asked in her usual way, the ever present maniacal grin on her face. Nothing looked out of place.

"Nothing." His gaze shifted to Hinata, who was looking out the window while resting her head on her hand. She yawned, covering it with his free hand. Maybe he had imagined it... There was no way Hinata could have gotten to her desk that quickly and silently. Yeah, he had imagined it.

Soon more people filed into the room, and not long after the bell rang for class to start.

"Alright you maggots, today we'll be covering the ground rules of disection. First, no playing with the equipment without permission. Or if you have to defend yourself from some kind of pervert, then you have my permission. Second," And she went on, occasionally throwing in wierd comments like the pervert one, which was nothing unusual. She always had a wierd sense of humor._ Yeah, I think I imagined it... _He thought to himself. _If it was real, she would be acting different... _Dark eyes trailed over to the Hyuuga sitting diagonally from him. Both of them... Even with these thoughts, Sasuke couldn't help but think of the way Hinata had sounded so mature and in control while talking. Sort of like in the cafeteria yesterday, with the Sakura incident. _She deffinately doesn't like people who think of themselves better than everyone else... _Sasuke smirked. About time someone had that mind set at this school, instead of all the stupid preps who thought they were so amazing. _Maybe things will get more interesting now that she's here. _

Sasuke had no idea how right he was.

_End of Chapter_

_So, you guys like it? Sorry that it's short, but I thought that was a good stopping point, and couldn't think of how to continue it. Please let me know what you think. Oh, and for those of you who are just thinking 'GET ON WITH THE STORY ALREADY, WOMAN!' I know, and I'm sorry! It's getting closer to the actual plot, but I have to develop Hinata's relationship with the others before that. And I have other stories to work on as well, so please be patient! I'm working as fast as I can!_

_Nina_


	7. Happenings

Sorry about the wait, but here's the next chapter! Standard disclaimers apply.

My Sister is Missing

Chapter 6- Happenings of the Unwanted Kind

Hinata walked down the hallway towards the meeting room, this time dressed in a dark blue kimono that ended just after her knees. The obi was black and her long hair was loose except for the front part, which had a silver ribbon wrapped through it to trail at the back. She also wore the standard ninja equipment and knee-high boots.

The teen sighed and pushed open the door, allowing light to spill towards her from several candles and a small fire in the middle of the room. It, along with the candles, was held up by a black pillar-like stand, which shaped out into a bowl for the wood or oil. The candles were in candle holders, with the same design as the bowl. 12 pairs of faded lavendar orbs looked back at her through the dim lighting.

"Hinata-sama," The woman from yesterday's meeting started in a disdainful tone. "we have all considered what you said at yesterday's meeting." The teen nodded.

"I'm extremely interested to see what everyone has to say." She waited expectantly, eyes traveling around the room, as she stood near the door next to the fire. It cast flickering shadows across her face, and combined with her outfit she looked like a night goddess over a burning city, complete with deadly calm and grace.

"Hinata-sama," The man who would normally sit to her right started, breaking the silence. "I for one, agree with you. Our clan has made many unwise decisions during this past year, when we found of the Sound and Cloud's plans. I am willing to see what you have planned." She nodded.

"Your cooperation is most valued, Hiroto-san. Thank you." Another Hyuuga shifted, eyeing Hiroto in distaste.

"Are you saying that our noble acts have been unwise, Hiroto? Do you dare go against what Hiashi-sama has found fitting for us to do?" He asked.

"Yes. Hinata-sama's ideas, I am sure, are just as good as Hiashi-sama's, if not better. With her as our leader I believe that we will have a much higher survival rate, and that more people like Hayate will be spared." Hiroto answered boldly, his eyes never leaving Hinata's, who nodded in appreciation. A woman nodded as well, slowly thinking it over.  
"Hinata-sama, may I hear what it is you have planned so that I may come to my decision as well?" She asked politely, her voice smooth like a lake when no breeze disturbs it.

"Of course. As you all know, the Cloud is only helping Orochimaru because they want the secrets of the Byakugon. They will stop at nothing to get it. We've all seen it; at my attempted kidnapping 12 years ago and many others repeated on other main family members. I believe one was your niece, was she not, Haruno-sama?" Hinata stated, directing her attention to the same outspoken woman who had been rude to her the day before. Haruno looked insulted.

"Well, yes, but I see not where you are going with this! If you are going to tell us your plan, then get on with it!" Hana walked into the room, unnoticed by all, accompanied by three other maids. "Or do you even have a plan? Why else would you be rattling on about such well known topics? Answer me that!" The older woman looked triumphantly at the 15-year old, who, much to her dismay, was smiling slightly.

"Tell me, Haruno-sama, do you know anything of painting?" A few mumurs ran through the crowd at this. What was she getting at? Haruno had once been known as one of the greatest artistic shinobi ever produced from the Hyuuga clan.

"Of course I know about painting! What inso--!"

"Then you should know that to create a work of art," Hinata said, raising her voice slightly to speak over the gray-haired woman. "One must apply the basics first." Haruno fumed silently in her seat, but did not comment as the maids positioned themselves around the room and started making hand signs. "If any now sit in this room that will not follow me, you are dismissed. If you are undecided, you may stay until I have presented my plans." Haruno stood immediately.

"I see absolutely no reason to stay in the company of such incompetent people." She stormed out of the room as fast as her aged legs would let her. Two more followed, a man and another woman. Hinata waited a minute before clapping her hands together.

"Now then, we are all in agreement on some level, correct?" There was a murmur of consent around the half-circle. "Excellent. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope that my comment about colors has not fallen on deaf ears." The maids finished their hands signs, ending in the ram sign, and a burst of smoke appeared behind Hinata, though she seemed unfased. When it cleared and the shock had become silent, Hinata stepped to the side and gesstured proudly to something behind her. "May I present to you my work of art; I call it Team X. Or, you might call it our Secret Weapon." The people around the room gasped at what they saw.

"Hinata-sama..." Began Hiroto, eyes wide and mouth agape. "This is by far one of your best ideas yet."  
"We have indeed been blessed with a very intelligent heiress, and clever." The woman with the lake-voice commented, smile growing in size. "Very clever indeed."

--

Sasuke sat at the desk in his room, leaning back onto two legs of his chair. Homework had proved to not take up enough time for him. Even though he had been... distracted, it had only taken him a half hour, at least. The raven-haired teen hadn't been able to get the conversation of Hinata and Anko's out of his head. What the hell had they been talking about? Squads, didn't make it, what the hell?! The more he thought about it the more it confused him. And, being the type of person that could normally figure things out fairly easily, this whole ordeal interested him.

"I wonder if any of the other teachers besides Kakashi and Anko are involved..." Sasuke mused aloud to himself. A knock sounded on his door, and he looked up in time to watch his dad swing it open.

"Talking to yourself again?" Fugaku asked cheerfully. "You know, I don't really mind, but other people might start to think you've gone crazy." He mocked. The chair fell forward onto all four legs with a 'thump'.

"I don't recall having said anything that would make this seem okay." Sasuke commented, twisting in the chair to watch his father sit down on his bed.

"You didn't have to; this is my house." The teen snorted in a poorly executed attempt at not laughing. "I don't see you paying any of the bills, _son_." Fugaku said sarcasticly, rolling his eyes. Sasuke stood, walking over to the bed and kicking his father's shin lightly.  
"Didn't you have a business meeting? What do you want anyways?" He asked, sitting down on the bed as well.

"What do I want? I'm hurt. Can't I just visit my kind, grateful, caring son every once in a while?" Sasuke gave him 'the look'. "Fine, fine. I just wanted to know why you've been so distracted lately."  
"No reason, really." The younger of the two mumbled, falling back to lay his head on his arms. "Just had a lot on my mind, I guess."

"Oh really, now. Well, it's not a class assignment, there was nothing on the webpage, so..." Fugaku trailed off, eyeing his son, who stared blankly at the ceiling. "...What's her name?" That got Sasuke's attention.

"What the hell, old man?!" He yelled, sitting up and pushing his father off the bed.

"Well that was uncalled for." Fugaku said from his crumpled heap on the ground. "But then again," He sat up, grinning at his son. "Your red face confirms my sucpisions." Sasuke's eye twitched dangerously. "So, is she pretty? What color are her eyes? Have you--?"  
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He cried, throwing a pillow at his dad. "Perverted old man! Don't say things like that!"

"Now, now, Sasuke, those were perfectly reasonable questions for a father to ask his son. I'm just curious. Be thankful I'm not one of those people who forbid their children from ever even thinking of the opposite sex." Sasuke rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.

"I was not thinking about anything along those lines. I was just trying to figure something out."  
"Something involving a girl."  
"Yes-- wait, no!" Fugaku cackled with laughter and Sasuke's face turned slightly pink. "It's not what you think! I was just wondering about something Hinata sai--!"  
"So her name's Hinata? Now we're getting somewhere!"

"You stupid old man!"

--

Near the Hyuuga compound Hinata walked through the streets of the outskirts area, her knee-length kimono fluttering in the wind. She was checking in with the people on watch, to make sure that everything was normal. Something about the air this evening didn't seem right; there was a heavy feeling to it. Any animal that she saw was tense, and ran away from her, and the kids weren't outside as much. Usually they didn't go in for about another half hour. Something was deffinately wrong.

Just ahead was an abandon office building, which Hinata walked into. Ignoring the stairs, she jumped through a hole in the ceiling above her to get to the second story. She gasped, then cursed inwardly. There, next to the window, and standing over the bodies of two of _her_ shinobi, was a cloud nin. He turned at the sound of her soft landing and nearly silent gasp, grinning.

"Yo, Hime-sama. You want to die too?" He asked, bring a kunai in front of him and slowly licking the blood from it. Hinata had to repress the urge to shiver. Silently thanking whatever instinct had told her to grab her katana before leaving, she stood slowly.

"I don't plan on dying, thanks. How about you?" The cloud nin smirked.  
"We'll see." 

End of Chapter--

That took a while. Oh well, I hope you like it. Thanks for reading! Hopefully the next update will be quicker.


	8. Overcast

_I'm sorry it took me so long to update this. _

_**She was being lazy. **_

_Shut it, Hayate. _

My Sister is Missing

Chapter 7: Overcast

Neji sat at his desk, looking out the window. Hinata was out making her rounds, and Hanabi was in the backyard practicing with her staff. The only sounds were the younger's panting and the swish of wood through air. In fact, you couldn't even hear children playing like you usually could at this hour. Everything was eerily quiet. Below, the swishing stopped, so Neji could only assume that his younger cousin had noticed as well. Looking down, their eyes met, and Hanabi's were worried. The young prodigy nodded once, then hurried downstairs.

When you're trained as a ninja since birth, you tend to become acutely aware of your suroundings at all times. Constant Vigilence is something instilled in a child of the Hyuuga house since birth. So, the lack of normal sounds had made quite a few uneasy. Neji and Hanabi moved quickly through the house, gathering any items they thought that they would need if something happened. Since early that morning, the entire area had been put on high alert. That meant many things, one of which was that if anything seemed out of the ordinary, prepare for all hell to break loose. All those who were unable to fight were to prepare to evacuate if needed, and all ninja were ordered to be combat ready and willing to march into battle. In less than ten minutes, the two cousins were crouched on the roof, looking towards the edge of the district.

"...It's so quiet." Hanabi said quietly after a moment of silence. A cold wind blew, ruffling her skirt and long hair. Neji paused to push a few strands of hair out of his face before answering.

"That's why we're here, Hanabi-sama. Something was out of the ordinary, so we did as your sister ordered and prepared ourselves." The younger of the two sat down, pulling her knees to her chest.

"I know that." The silence settled in again, and both resumed watching for anything potentially dangerous. "When do you think Oneechan will be back?" Neji glanced at his little cousin from the corner of his eyes. She was still just a kid in many ways. Her mother died when she was only a year old, from another sound raid, and Hinata was the closest thing to a mother that she had anymore. Hanabi didn't want to lose something like that again, even if she couldn't really remember the first time. He sighed.

"I can't say for sure when. But I can say for certain that she will be back." Neji answered. Hanabi looked at her older cousin, and brother in so many ways, in shock. Then she smiled, turning back to her portion of the watch.

------

Hinata moved around the Cloud nin in a slow, cautious circle, being careful not to turn her back to him. Not that that was hard. He was mirroring her every movement, watching the hand that rested on her katana amusedly.

"Does the little Hime think she can beat me with her shiny sword?" He mocked, crossing his arms.

"You killed two of my people. Whether you are more powerful than me or not, I owe it to them to try." The heiress answered, stopping her circle as soon as she reached the look-out post, with the bodies. She activated her Byakugan, and to her relief, noted that the gaurds' eyes were still in their sockets. The Cloud must've been about to take them, then. _Looks like I got here just in time_. As if reading her thoughts, the Cloud nin's grin widened and he shot towards her, brandishing a kunai. Hinata whipped out her sword to block, not daring to move from her fallen comrades.

"Scared, girly?" He taunted, pressing harder against her. Hinata kicked at the Cloud nin's legs, forcing him to move back and away from the heiress.

"That would not be my choice word for the moment." The blue-haired girl answered.

"Then what would it be?" The Cloud lunged again, this time forcing Hinata to jump aside. Instead of going after the bodies like she had assumed he would, the man jumped after her. After a few minutes of dodging and steel-on-steel, they once again found themselves in a stalemate. They broke apart, and the deadly dance began again.

"Upset. Angry. Murderous. Furious. Take your pick." Each word was accented with a blow from the heiress' katana. The black-haired cloud nin laughed again.

"You don't _look_ murderous, little Hime. Why don't you show me just how _furious_ you are!" He bellowed, attacking again. Hinata weaved in and out of his blows, sometimes matching them, and others just moving.

"Show you?" She asked, and in the blink of an eye the Cloud-nin found himself pinned to the wall through the stomach with the heiress' 'shiny sword'. "No wonder you cloud nin want our Byakugon. You're obviously blind." The man choked, caughing up blood which ended up on Hinata. "Know this before you die. No matter what you do, no matter how fast and hard you come at us, we will never give you our Byakugon. And I swear to you that with every breath in my body, I will protect my people. Even if I suddenly found our roles reversed here, and I was pinned to the wall, I would rip out of your hold and take you to hell with me. You, however, have no chance to do so." The Cloud took another shaky breath, and grabbed the blade. Hinata dragged the blade up, cutting his upper-body in half. "As it is, say hello to the devil for me." The heiress stepped back, letting the body fall with a thud to the ground.

"Hinata-sama!" Said girl turned towards the voice, watching as two gaurds landed in a crouched position at the same hole that she had come through. The taller man of the two spoke again. "What happened here?"

"A Cloud nin decided that he would try and take the Byakugon for his master. You can guess what happened from there." The men eyed the bloody corpse near the window in distaste. "Would you please prepare these gaurds to be delivered to their families; then burn the Cloud. He deserves nothing more." The gaurds set about their work, and Hinata stormed from the building with a last glare at the aformentioned Cloud nin.

-----

Sasuke stepped from his house to take a walk with the hope that the fresh air would clear his head. Still, that conversation was bothering him, and he couldn't figure it out. Why would Hinata and Anko say something like that? Better yet, had they even said it? That much he was almost sure of; they had been talking. He wasn't so delusional that he could hear his teacher and friend talk out of the blue about something so absurd. Besides, he didn't think he could make that up. He didn't have Naruto's imagination, after all.

The teen sighed, going over every possible explanation in his head. None of them really made sense, though, so half an hour later he lifted his head to look around. He had wandered into an area that he wasn't very familiar with, which was just what he needed at the moment. _Great. Now I'm lost. Flippin' awesome_. Sasuke looked around himself, continuing on slowly. There weren't very many people about, which was odd for this hour. Where were the kids running around, and the moms talking over fences while watering their gardens? _Ah, there's a few_...

Three children had just run out of one of the houses to his left. One, the apparent leader, was a boy of about 12 years old. He had brown hair and matching eyes, and was wearing a rediculously long blue scarf. The next one out the door was an orange-haired girl who wore mostly pink. The last of the trio was another brown-haired boy who wore a dark blue turtle-neck and had glasses.

"Come on, hurry up! Does HIgh Alert mean _anything_ to you two?!" The scarf-wearing boy cried over his shoulder. Sasuke found it to be a bit of a wonder that he didn't trip over the thing.

"Of course it does, Konohamaru! I still don't get why we're sprinting through the streets, though!" The girl replied. Huffing, the first boy slid to a stop and turned to look at the others about 10 feet away from Sasuke.

"Look around. Do you see anything out of place?" The two looked at eachother, and then let their eyes wander. Sasuke bent to tie his shoe, hoping to divert attention from himself. It worked decently.

"There aren't many people about." The girl commented.

"And there's no animals, either. Not even Yamaka-san's cat." The glasses-clad boy added. Konohamaru nodded.

"See? This is exactly the kind of thing we're supposed to be watching out for. You missed something else, though." He waited a minute, but neither answered. "Hinata-neechan hasn't come by on her rounds yet. She's usually here at least 15 minutes ago. Something probably happened." At this Sasuke stood slowly. Hinata? She was involved in the strange neighborhood too?! This had gone far enough for him.

"Oi, Kid." He said, to which the trio jumped and turned to him, all reaching for wierd pouches on their legs.

"Who are you?!" The girl demanded, having not noticed him earlier.

"Sasuke. A friend of Hinata's. What's going on?" He answered, and all of the kids stood up straighter, letting their hands fall.

"Hinata-Hime put the area on High Alert earlier, but just now Konohamaru noticed that something was off. We don't know what's happening; we were just on our way to find out." The brown-haired boy noticed, tugging at his collar a little bit out of nerves. Now that the atmosphere was pointed out to him, it was a little hard to miss. Sasuke's eyebrows shot into his hairline at this bit of news. Hinata-_Hime_? High Alert? What now? All other questions were put to end, however, when a piercing scream rang out over the neighborhood. The kids looked at eachother in horror.

"Was that..?" The girl started, and Konohamaru nodded fearfully.

"Hanabi."

End of Chapter---

_Hey guys... Took a bit, but I finally got a chapter up. I hope you like it! It's finally getting to the exciting part, huh? Reviews make me update faster! Ja ne!_

_~Nina_


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